Accidents That Only Bring Us Just A Little Bit Closer
by sctwilightvampwolfgal
Summary: Bell's great at fighting in the dungeon, loves it, but on the other hand, he's not so great at dealing with women; when the vast majority of the girls in his life start paying him extra attention, how's he supposed to react? *Christmas giftfic to my wonderful friend, Anc1enT.*
1. Chapter 1

**Merry Christmas! I hope that this multichapter makes your day and that you love this gift. Hopefully, I'll have chapter two that should focus a little bit more on the twins written out and posted soon! So I decided to give it my all for the cool!Bell story where he's slowly clued in to all of the girls liking him except three, and naturally, I started off with the hot springs scene and Loki. Hopefully, I wrote that well. I can just imagine Loki teasing him like no tomorrow despite the fact that he ran away screaming or rather more to that fact. She can make him remarkably flustered with her sudden and attentive attention though. I hope that every chapter of it becomes just a little something to brighten your days. I hope that you have a very blessed day and that every day closer to Christmas gets just a little bit better and more exciting. I've never gifted a multichapter to anyone for Christmas, and I hope that this is the gift that keeps on giving.**

It was a relatively ordinary day for Bell; he'd just came back from the dungeon and managed to drop down through several floors after roughly five, long hours in the dungeon though the fact that he was more than a little sore and tired from it, covered in the blood of his enemies.

He followed a well worn trail that he'd never really followed before, but it seemed like a very pretty and relaxing trail through the woods outside of town.

Bell knew that with whatever sprang up in case it really wasn't safe, he could take down with a simple swing of his Hestia knife.

He smiled at the thought; he loved fighting in the dungeon and as he rapidly grew stronger, he only got better at it.

His ruby red eyes flickered to a slight opening of the path that at first he thought was a meadow, but the further he stepped into, the more he realized that it a spring of some sort.

Bell's eyes flickered up, following the noises that his ears picked up on, and found himself staring smack dab at a naked Loki who was laughing and trying to get Aiz to step closer, and Bell gulped when his eyes inevitably traced back over to Aiz that also looked like perfection herself with her blond hair down, and then they flickered to the twins, matching well toned bodies before his mind caught up to what he was seeing,

A scream tore through his throat as he realized that he'd accidentally been checking out the female members of Loki Familia without their permission in the middle of a hot spring that was probably theirs.

No one had thought to try to cover up with towels or anything, and most of their bodies were bared to the cool, forest air.

Bell turned tail and ran as if he'd been a lost dog yelled at quite viciously by his owner which is strangely enough what the young adventurer felt like.

He could fight well in a dungeon, but for him, he was rather hopeless when it came to girls and even more so when they were not wearing a single thing to latch on to decency.

Bell had never been his grandfather, couldn't imagine being him though he did look up to him, and now he felt like he couldn't run fast enough.

He was inevitably fast on his feet from maneuvering around a ton of monsters in the dungeon to come back at them on their blind spots, but yet he didn't feel nearly fast enough, barely managing to jump over sticks and other potential tripping devices in his haste.

He only managed to calm down and take in easy gulps of fresh air once he was halfway through town though really hoped that none of the other girls in town will walk up to him now, because he was half sure he couldn't handle it right now, half bunched over, panting like he'd never breathe again, and sweaty as all can be, mostly just because of nerves and a rather late set of embarrassment.

Bell only realized belatedly that his luck had to be absolutely terrible when at least one of the towel clad females had chased him down; a part of his mind wondered why she couldn't have been wearing a towel earlier and save him from this level of embarrassment.

"So what's the matter? I know that I can be downright irresistible despite whatever Hestia probably tells you." Loki shrugged, and Bell's eyes were lit up under her stare and yet still somewhat nervous.

She was standing before him with a thin veil of a towel, having just beat the twins here, and Bell gulped, trying to find the words to speak to her.

Fighting in dungeons came naturally to him, but women on the other hand, were just as hard to handle as he could imagine.

"L-Loki, Goddess. It's just..." His voice trailed off, and she sent another smirk his way with a casual wink; did his tongue just swell up in his mouth or was that just his nerves?

"It's just?" Her smirk was stubborn, and Bell tried to find the words to respond, he really did.

"I-I don't feel right, catching you all unaware like that. It's improper. You, as a goddess, deserve so much better." The words tumbled out like mini avalanches, and he prayed that they'd stop; he certainly didn't sound right before a goddess no matter how dressed she was, did he?

"How about I give you permission to see me like this?" She fiddled with the towel hiding away her chest, her stomach, and further down; he gulped.

"L-Loki, it's not, I don't think that's best." His red eyes bounced away from her towel clad frame; please don't stare, she might not like that despite what she says.

"Why? Surely, you like what you saw and want to see it again?" Her smirk was back on her face, and Bell's eyes danced up to it which only made his face start to blush again, because despite how common that look on her face was, it was still unbelievably attractive.

"It's just..." Bell's words trailed off before he could stop them from running away, "Loki, Goddess, I just... I'm sorry for looking earlier without your consent." His eyes accidentally dropped to where her towel hid her chest and even though she was perhaps one of the smallest chested goddesses out there, his mouth felt dry from just knowing what was beneath that towel, just knowing that size hadn't been the thing that drew his attention before. She was just, painstakingly beautiful though Bell quickly averted his eyes under the fact that he really shouldn't be staring now, not even if her towel came slightly forward being as close to her chest as it was.

"I would have given it to you anyway." She shrugged, and her towel slipped for a quick, heart stopping second, and Bell could barely catch his breath.

"G-Goddess," Bell wished that there wasn't a strange kind of intimacy to referring to her without her name tacked on, sort of like he know her well, and that this was okay when it really didn't feel like it.

Loki shifted her towel with a sort of ease that drew his eyes again, covering up the small amount of space above her chest that had slipped into view just a second ago.

"Yes?" She now asked him though Bell's tongue still felt kind of heavy, and he was pretty sure that she was teasing him again.

"I-I was going to tell you that your towel fell down a little bit, b-but you already took care of it." His eyes were strictly only on her face, but had her eyes always shone like that when she was teasing someone?

"Oh, so you were looking?" Loki teased, and that self satisfied smirk of hers sent butterflies swirling in Bell's stomach that were beginning to act a little like Minotaurs though he wasn't sure if he could fight off that tempting feeling as well as he could fight off a Minotaur right now.

"N-No." Bell stammered before finding the will to say a few more words, "L-Loki, Goddess."

She smiled at him though it had softened a small amount, leaving Bell's stomach full of floor boss sized butterflies now, because honestly how could he not like the softer look to her face, the genuine affection that he still didn't understand that clung to her face so readily.

"I guess I'll see you around." Loki turned around after sending a casual wink his way, and his eyes shouldn't have been drawn to the way her hips curved when she moved, and her posterior that looked absolutely, way too hidden right now; he tried not to look, had been distracted by the lazy movement, and had to drag his eyes away yet again.

His body was a strange mix of nerves and something else that slithered through him, not unlike a snake, and he found himself too much in a daze to think of leaving that spot that he'd stood in talking to Loki, the goddess of Loki Familia, herself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's another chapter; merry Christmas again even though it's only been a day since the last time I wished you one. I hope that you like this chapter just as much. The twins may be having a little bit too much fun at Bell's expense. Hopefully, this chapter another relaxing break from the stress of finals and is a bright shine to your day. I wish that today shall be just as awesome as yesterday hopefully was.**

Two matching, darker skinned woman joined Bell's side while he was still trying to reel his mind back in from what Loki's presence had seemed to cause him.

Neither Amazoness seemed to care about wearing more than their towels either, and suddenly Tiona was pressed against his side with a playful smile, messy hair brushing against his arms, "Bell, why did you run away so fast?" Her voice playfully held a note into the air before pausing to let her longer haired sister cling to his other side and coo as well.

"Bell," She purred into his opposite ear, dark brown hair draping over his arm, towel hanging almost loosely over beautiful, dark skin, "Don't you love how we look?"

His head spun, and he could barely find the words; they were much too close to let his mind be at peace, much too close for him to calm down or take a fresh breath of air, warm skin nudged his upper arm from their collar bones and up, and yet he could almost tell the exact outline of their breasts from this proximity that mirrored the brief glance that he'd stolen before he could stop himself.

Tione seemed to smile more at his slight daze as she nudged closer, towel slipping further down on her back, uncaring about trying to adjust it as she pressed so much closer.

Towels were thin veils as far as anything went, and Bell wasn't sure that he could breathe with the twins draped over his sides in practically nothing.

"Ti-Tione, Ti-Tiona, can you please back o-off?" The question came out as more of a nervous statement, and he blinked when Tiona purred in his ear.

"But Bell, if I pull back my towel will fall." She grinned up at him, mischievous smile lighting up her darker features.

"Ti-Tiona, uh, you can't stay at my side like th-this forever. You'll get cold." He closed his eyes, trying to block out the sight as his face burned so very red, but yet closing his eyes did nothing, because he could still feel too unique curves of breasts against his sides, and the nerves within him were shot.

"Oh, well." The twins purred in perfect unison.

"You'll keep us warm, won't you, Bell?" Tione cooed with a simple question.

"U-Uh, s-sure?" His brain slowly caught up to what his mouth and throat forced out, "I-I mean, you really should pull back."

Tione and Tiona beamed matching smiles back at him, "Are you sure Bell?"

"Y-Yeah." He stammered out as they both grinned up with beautiful, identical matching smirks.

He needed to back away now, step out of their casual embrace, because he couldn't handle this, not with the way his face flamed up, the way his tongue felt dry and large in his mouth, not with the way his mind left in dizzying waves and spirals, further driving him insane.

Bell gulped as he clung to Tione's towel to keep it on her body to avoid whatever embarrassment that fiasco could cause, and to avoid the way that seeing her so revealed and bare before him again may just drive him completely crazy.

He slowly backed away, only letting go of her towel once she had a hold of it again.

Bell repeated that exact same procedure with Tiona, gulping past the pounding of his heart in his chest, trying to ignore how much redder his face had become, as if repeating the process would slowly but surely drive him more insane.

When he had successfully clambered away, his eyes were met with twin pouts on the two sisters' faces, and he felt a part of himself clam up as if he'd done something wrong.

"P-Please go find Loki, may be she'll want something." The words were tumbling out of his mouth in awkward trepidation.

"Aww, but we'd rather stay by your side." The two young women cooed with those pouts only growing more tempting; he shouldn't want to kiss them better, right?

Bell gulped past any regret of letting this moment pass, it was for their sake anyway, "B-But, your goddess may need you." He'd barely been able to choke the words out, let alone move all that quickly when the two women backed away from him with flirtatious waves, surely knowing how it tilted their towels and revealed just a hint of cleavage.

He wondered why he couldn't just get away and bury himself in the covers of his bed at home and try to forget about how indecently he'd seen the ladies of Loki Familia though he'd grown far too distracted by their equal beauty even with every different body type, every different, just as tempting color, every gorgeous strand of hair, messy or neat, it didn't matter.

Bell could barely breathe after waving to the twins as they'd clearly wanted, could barely summon any breath of air to enter his lungs as he followed a familiar path back to the old church that he and Hestia called home.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi! Here's another chapter to your gift! I'm kind of surprised at how fast I'm writing the chapters and how regularly I've been. This is a lot more innocent than the last two chapters have been and full of more misunderstandings though nothing too extreme that they can't be handled within the next chapter. I couldn't resist writing Syr as the idea that I had in mind inspired off of that dialogue felt to me like it had to be her, so here you go, a casual break from the Loki Familia that so stunned Bell the last couple of chapters. Merry Christmas for the third day in a row I guess, and I hope that everything goes well. Have a very wonderful, blessed day, and I hope that you love this chapter too.**

Bell wasn't all that surprised that Syr, one of his probably best friends stopped him before he made his way to the dungeon that morning.

In her hands was a normal packed lunch that she'd prepared for him, and on her face was a brilliant budding smile; at least, he didn't have the embarrassment and the slight tingling of seeing her like he'd seen Loki and the rest a few days ago.

He hadn't managed to speak to Loki Familia since then or be able to look any of them in the eye or anywhere else; he wondered vaguely if he'd manage to still kind of isolate himself from them later on or whether he'll cave and seek out the quiet companionship of Aiz which he was really starting to miss.

Bell loved quiet, sparring lessons by her side that only made the both of them get better and the tendency for them to just adapt and grow better at maneuvering around each other and sparring together.

His eyes flicked up to lock onto Syr's pretty eyes as he sent a hopefully just cheery smile her way as nerves hadn't quit rocking through his stomach since he'd stumbled upon Loki Familia's hot spring the other day as if he expected to just encounter another woman without clothes any second now.

"H-Hi. Hopefully, you'll like the lunch." Syr smiled at him, and her shyness lit up some of the most eccentric of butterflies in his stomach.

"I'm sure that I will." Bell answered her smile with one of his own; Syr's lunches that she prepared for him were delicious, had always been.

"Bell, I've been thinking about this for awhile and I like you." Syr's words stumbled out under a sudden shy spell, and when she peeked up at him from beneath her lashes with a blush, he was momentarily dazed.

Despite the sudden rushing of his heart in his chest, he knew that he had to handle this particularly well, "Oh that's good to hear, I like you to. I'm happy we become such good friends."

"O-Okay." Syr sent another dazzingly shy smile his way and let him take his lunch from her hands; the nervous pout on her lips reminded him of his desire to kiss her sometimes, to know if she feels as soft as she looks, and he wonders if she meant anything by her last statement despite knowing that she couldn't.

Bell smiled her way anyway, trying to turn her nervous pout into a radiant smile though his stomach was rapidly turning from butterflies into nervous Killer Ants inside his belly though he was positive that something so big couldn't be in his belly or appear as aggressively in his stomach; he was not the dungeon though his insides had taken to feeling just like it lately.

"B-Bye, Syr." He sent a hopefully encouraging smile her way and wondered vaguely why her face flushed, and she turned away from him to scurry inside the restaurant that she worked at in a hurry unlike any he'd ever seen before.

Bell had the strange inkling of fear that he'd said or done something wrong though he couldn't pin point exactly where it was coming from.


	4. Chapter 4

**Merry Christmas! I accidentally took a day off yesterday, but I hope that the extra wait for this chapter was more than worth it! Now, Bell definitely has more confusion to sort through. He'll hopefully figure it all out one day. I hope that you love this chapter and that you have a wonderful day!**

When Bell was stopped by Ryu the next day, he was more than a little surprised; normally, Syr would wait for him to arrive and give him a homemade lunch while Ryu helped out within The Hostess Of Fertility.

Ryu's arms were crossed, her expression almost blank, and she stood reserved before the entrance as if she was just waiting for him to walk by and yet was not willing to let him guess why right away.

"Ryu, what's the matter?" Bell shifts as he moves closer, eyes on the pretty ex-adventurer before him that still seemed unbelievably strong despite everything.

"I want you to know that Syr doesn't think of you as a friend, but rather a little more than that." Ryu's lips pulled down in a slight frown as she seemed to be trying to find a little more to say on the matter.

"How does she see me?" Bell's throat felt like it was caving in on himself and suddenly the idea of the whole of the dungeon attacking his stomach didn't seem so farfetched.

"She looks at you like you are her boyfriend. She meant to say that she sees in you someone to admire." Ryu still looked uncertain of her words yet the meaning did not seem to be one that she was uncertain of at all.

"S-Someone to admire?" He thinks of his days spent in the dungeon, his joy over every little success there, and then remembers that surely Syr has not seen that side of him at all.

"She likes your kind heart." Ryu shifts on her feet, "She likes your tendency to truly see people and forgive so easily. She admires your strength, the fact that if she were to ever get into any kind of danger, that you'd be the first one to jump in and save her. She loves your courage."

Bell didn't feel courageous right now, just felt almost dizzingly sick, his heart had to have dropped to his stomach, his mind felt fuzzy as if he was just waking up which in a way he was, he was just starting to understand the conversation from yesterday.

His mind felt numb; he realized vaguely that he didn't know how he felt about Syr.

He loved Aiz, admired her strength, admired so much about her and was just getting to the point through hard work and many, many hours that he could may be stand by her side now, and yet he wasn't entirely sure how he felt about sweet Syr, who was always ready to pack him a delicious lunch, sacrificed her own meals for him, and looked up to him so much.

Bell could understand that level of admiration, felt it for Aiz, and yet his mind felt like it had short circuited.

"I-I'm not ready for an answer, Ryu. I don't know how I feel." Tears pricked his red eyes as he stared ahead at The Hostess Of Fertility and remembered how he'd always found Syr so cute and her loyalty to him often left his stomach in happy, little knots.

Bell felt lifeless in a way as if he was just now springing forth to reality.

"Okay, If you do have an answer, please come back to talk to Syr, she deserves to know. I'm going to give up on wanting to be with you too, because if anyone deserved the world, it would be Syr." Ryu smiled a nearly broken smile at him and that second confession perhaps hit him harder than the first.

With Syr, he understood vaguely now that he thought about it that it didn't come out of nowhere, but with Ryu, he couldn't piece together the signs in his mind.

Bell wished that he had someone to confide in all of this crazy mess, someone to understand how to put one step forward, and discover exactly what his feelings were.

He stepped forward, figuring that the best form of a distraction came in the form of the dungeon, hours, blood, and sweat to calm his mind and allow the problem of what to do with these confessions to fade away for a while.


	5. Chapter 5

**Merry Christmas Eve's Eve! Wow, this chapter's a monster, but it had to happen. This chapter is definitely the longest chapter by far so far, but it definitely needed to happen. Sadly, there is a lack of female interaction in this chapter, but it definitely needed to happen for Bell to sort through his emotions, feelings, and thoughts and naturally give him the push and confidence to move forward. I did end up writing a dungeon scene to start off with which is probably a good thing. I really hope you like this chapter though it's a bit different from the chapters before it. Merry Christmas, and I wish you the best kind of Christmas that can happen! I really hope that this very different chapter makes your day and brings a smile to your face as Bell deals with his confusion the best way that he can. (I'm surprised that it's already a day before Christmas Eve and how fast the time is flying by.)**

Bell hadn't really had time to think about earlier that morning in the dungeon naturally as he'd stopped thinking by way of worrying, pressing thoughts and future decisions that he'd still had to make, but had instead leaned further into working out strategies.

He'd beaten thirteen floors and was working his way through the fourteenth when he realized that it had been hours, and he'd spent them tirelessly plowing through the dungeon and while he hadn't gotten ridiculously far, the monsters had gotten stronger though he was still plenty able enough to just easily defeat them and think of half way decent strategies on the fly, but if he kept going all day like this, someone would worry over him.

Bell hadn't said much to those that he almost always entered the dungeon with as he just moved along, fighting his way through the enemies like there was nothing else that he was as good at, and letting the blood of said monsters coat his skin and hair, letting sweat pour down his skin and letting a hint of exhaustion start to dance along his veins.

He was panting as he fought when the thoughts of Syr's and Ryu's confessions tore through his mind making him stumble slightly before he pushed them away and fought harder to make up for his brief lapse in attention and finally as he cleared the fairly large amount of monsters before him, he spun around to face his supporter and the man that made his armor.

"We should probably call it a day." Bell tugged his shoulders up, realizing now that he had paused for a moment that they were feeling a little sore, and tried to wipe the blood and sweat off of his brow.

He knew himself well enough that if he kept going like this, his mind would just tear through his concentration, and he'd only end up hurting himself and his two companions in the long run; Bell knew when to call it quits for a day regardless of how tempting it was to fight and not look back, to let his mind zero in on new strategies, and let his body work itself into exhaustion.

Bell needed to get out for once, catch a breath, and may be talk over his confusion to just let it release its grip on him so that he could catch a break and finally be able to focus better by the next time he wound his way back into the dungeon with his two companions, losing focus in the dungeon was never a good thing after all.

The young man upon getting encouraging agreement led his two companions back up and out of the dungeon, finding his own way pretty easily and quickly defeating the every monster that stepped in his way, refusing to take it easy or give his partners a chance to jump in and fight the monsters as readily as he was.

Bell just needed a distraction as well as a chance to talk his feelings out with an understanding companion.

He couldn't go to Lili or Hestia for they were women and likely wouldn't be much help in that regard, and he couldn't go to Welf, because he didn't know if the man knew him well enough or was well aware of how to tread lightly with women based off of experience. Had Welf ever dated anyone before for that matter?  
Bell needed the listening advice of a god who had years of experience learning to understand just what to do in situations like these and someone calm enough to properly sort things out with adequate advice.

He needed to talk to Miach.

* * *

Bell was nearly relieved as he left the dungeon, transferred what they'd acquired while in the dungeon for money, split it up in an easy three person divide under protest, because Bell had certainly did most of the work today if not all of it.

He sighed as he left his two friends with a farewell wave though felt nerves take over his stomach that were as strong as the strongest minotaurs or may be the strongest of floor bosses, because he suddenly realized that to talk something over with a trusted friend was to confide in someone about the confessions that had happened yesterday morning and this morning as well as talk over the events from a matter of days ago.

Bell took a steady breath as he knocked on the day to the potion shop that Miach ran and walked in, relieved to see the god right away before he walked up and asked if he had a moment to spare.

He wasn't the sort of person to demand attention or be rude after all.

Miach spoke softly to one of his Familia members before he slipped away to talk with Bell.

* * *

"So Bell?" Miach asked as soon as they were seated at an outside table and had a couple of drinks before them.

"I have a problem or a bit of one anyway." Bell spoke softly as he leaned slightly forward, his belly falling to his feet in a cold panic at the realization that this conversation had to happen now or never.

"What's the problem?" Miach leaned forward too, a gentle and calm presence.

"Well," Bell fumbled for the right words for a moment, staring down at his drink but far too nervous to take a sip, "I just found out a couple friends of mine like me as more than friends." He drew his fingers together in a gentle embrace before dropping them, still staring down and hoping that Miach knew how to handle this situation.

"How do you feel about them?" Miach spoke softly, watching the boy that he cared for about as much as he cared for his Familia, a son of sorts to him.

"I-I don't know." Bell muttered sullenly, "I find the one cute to be sure, but I don't know how I feel around her. I guess that it was kind of obvious that she liked me the other way too. The other one, she's incredible really, now that I think about it. She used to be an adventurer and is one of the strongest that I know as I recently found out. She's loyal and was never a quitter. I look up to her." Bell's face blazed red as he thought about it; were his feelings for Ryu much more than friendship after all?  
"So they are both great friends?" Miach asked casually, reminding Bell of yet another reason why this couldn't really work out.

"Yeah, and they are best friends to each other." He took a deep breath, still searching for the perfect words, "Ryu told me that she'd give up on me for Syr's sake. She's really loyal."

"And how do you feel around Syr? You said that she's cute and that it was obvious that she really liked you?" Miach spoke calmly even though the person sitting across from him was wracked with nerves.

"Yeah, she makes me lunch every day before I go into the dungeon, and she's always super nice to me. She's really dependable, and I like talking to her." Bell blushed as he realized that may be he was saying too much.

"So how would it feel to you if you were to go on a date with her? Would you rather go on a date with her or her friend, Ryu?" Miach spoke fairly easily though he seemed to think a little more deeply about the words before he said them.

"I'd," Bell paused as his heart began to race, "I'd love to. With Syr, it would be so easy, and I'm sure that we'd have plenty to talk about. With Ryu though, I'd love it just as much." Bell ducked his head, "I'd want to just try to be there for her more than anything, because she deserves that kind of loyalty, and I'd gladly listen to anything that she'd ever tell me."

"Do you think that you could like them both as more than friends?" Miach asked quietly, watching Bell carefully.

"Yeah," Bell bit his lip as he nervously realized that while he was kind of curious about kissing Syr, feeling how smooth and soft her lips had to be, the thought of kissing Ryu and letting her lead was equally tempting, and then there was Aiz, "Is it bad if I like at least three different girls at once?" His mind betrayed him as it flickered back to the other day with the Loki Familia.

"For a god," Miach began, eyes appearing to reflect on something from a while ago, "We are okay with polyamorous relationships, dating multiple people, but it is not always accepted by humans. It's okay to me if you like multiple people and want to be with them, but ultimately their feelings on the subject matter more than mine since I'm not involved in the relationship." Miach paused before he spoke again, "Tell me about this other girl."

Bell's red eyes contained his nervousness before he found the words to go on and try to explain his feelings to his long time friend, "Aiz is undescribable pretty much. She's strong but quiet. She's a bit dorky in her own ways and is very fun to practice sparring with, but I think I may like her Familia just as much as well. Is it okay to like so many people at once?"  
He felt like crying as his heart felt wobbly in his chest, but he tried to focus on Miach and not let the tears fall, because he absolutely needed his advice.

"It isn't." Miach spoke calmly and softly, trying to reassure his human friend, "I've fallen for many women, goddesses and humans over the years and even was blessed with them all loving me back even when I least deserved it."

"O-Okay," Bell paused to think over his last question, "Do I ask them all out now?"  
"I'd say, think about it a little more and work a little bit towards figuring out if they'll be okay with trying a polyamorous relationship with you though don't be too disheartened if they are nervous at first or outright deny you. Love is worth a little effort and a little waiting." Miach's eyes sparkled with reverence as he paused thinking of the only woman that he currently loved and who had yet to see that same kind of beauty in him.

Bell smiled, relieved at the thought of taking his next steps from here rather slowly, "Thanks, Miach. The girl you love will discover how awesome you are eventually." Bell's smile grew warmer as he relaxed near his mug and watched the god before him as Miach definitely deserved a wonderful woman to stay by his side through thick and thin.

"I can't be sure of that." Miach smiled a slightly sad, cracked smile, before he turned to fully face and focus on the boy before him, "But thank you for your encouragement. It was no problem to help really."

Bell took a deep breath and sent another warm smile Miach's way before he finally took a sip and drowned the burn of the drink away with determination; hopefully now that he's had this talk with one of his closest friends that he'll be able to move forward tomorrow and get through whatever obstacles that two confessions and a hot spring brought on in his life.


	6. Chapter 6

**Merry belated Christmas! Now, we can start counting down towards New Years, I guess. Sorry for how long this chapter took. (There was a posting issue the day after Christmas that irritated me, and I couldn't get any multichapter writing done then, and then yesterday wasn't inspired to write this.) This went in a different direction than I expected it to as far as what I was going to write, but I realized I can postpone the other scene until next chapter, and that Bell really, really did need to get this chapter over with and handle this conversation. So we're back with Ryu and Syr again. Hopefully, you like this chapter and that it was worth the extra wait! I'm glad that we have it out of the way now, and that we can move on through more of Bell's confusion. The next chapter if it goes like I think it will should be a lot of fun! I hope that Christmas went well for you, and that you got lovely gifts and had lovely moments with your family that made you very happy. Have a blessed day, and hopefully the next chapter won't take so long.**

Normalcy felt like a hopeless dream just a day later though he'd tried to take things slow by appearing at The Hostess Of Fertility with a nervous smile and went looking for Syr and Ryu before he went into the dungeon, not expecting anything or much of anything at all, just knowing that if he didn't tell the girls that he had to think about it for a bit that he may never see them again if Ryu's anger and the lack of seeing Syr outside weren't evidence enough of that.

"Ryu, Syr?" He traced his way to the back with a nervous smile, relieved to spot the two women though unsure of exactly how to broach this topic, "Can we please talk a moment?"

Lili and Welf would wait for him before the dungeon, he knew, and he was relieved that he didn't have to rush through to find the two of them in a panicked hurry.

"Over what?" Ryu's arms were crossed, and Bell briefly wondered if she still thought that it was being way too oblivious before he gathered himself.

"Our feelings?" It came out in a half stumbled phrase and yet he couldn't find another way to bring up the topic within him.

"Your feelings," Ryu informed him, "You already know of ours."

"I-I wanted to say that I need a little time to think. I think that I really, really like you both in a girlfriend to boyfriend way, and I just need to slowly sort out my feelings as you two aren't the only ones. I'm sorry." He didn't want any misunderstandings this time and felt almost like he was choking over the words in sheer nerves; if Syr or Ryu felt even a fraction of this while confessing to him, he felt immensely sorry to put them through this.

"You like us both that way?" Syr looked nervous, her delicate features debating over all of this, and Bell found himself at a loss for words in that moment; she was beautiful, inside and out, and he really, really wished that he could lean forward and kiss h er, but he knew he had to sort out his feelings for Aiz and work through how the rest of Loki Familia made him feel before he could address this emotion that spun and worked through him like live wire.

"Y-Y-Yeah, but I still like others too, and I want to make sure that I don't mess anything up before I say anything." Bell's face flamed as he felt embarrassed over his own feelings even though Miach told him that it was okay to like multiple girls this way.

"And you're sure that they're romantic?" Ryu was cautious, and Bell suddenly realized that he liked that about her, her tendency to think things through nowadays that had to have been in part developed throughout the obstacles in her life, the choices that she made, good or bad.

"Yeah," He closed his eyes, because he really wanted to reach out for her hand and assure her of his feelings even though he wasn't sure if she liked holding hands to begin with.

Syr fidgeted, and Bell's eyes opened at the noise; surely, Syr wouldn't mind if he reached out a hand and took her hand in his own to stop the fidgeting and calm her down.

"I want to be able to hold your hands." It was whisper soft as if he was scared of the omission, itself, "I want to be able to kiss you and just be close to you."

He smiled though it was nervous and almost broken in half realized fear; he knew that while he hadn't said the words yet to confirm that he was thinking of a polyamorous relationship that the words hinted at it so very strongly.

Syr blushed, "Mine a-and R-Ryu's?"

"Y-Yeah." Bell smiled softly, "Are you okay with that?"

Ryu looked deep in thought, pensive, while Syr fidgeted again, still blushing so cutely.

"Is this why you have to wait before answering us? Are you picking one over the other?" Ryu's question was stern and suddenly, Bell felt his heart drop to his stomach and felt absolutely awful.

"No, I want a p-polyamorous relationship, but I don't know who all I like this way and have to figure things out before I ask either of you out." He felt confident of what he wanted, but asking for a polyamorous relationship or rather saying that big word was difficult and felt nearly impossible to choke out.

"Who else are you thinking of?" Ryu stepped closer towards him, but didn't reach out or touch him.

"L-Loki Familia." Bell blushed, "I've really liked Aiz for a while, and yet I think that I'm falling for her Familia or rather the women in her Familia as well. They are just so..." He trailed off, suddenly unsure how to describe so many unique and wonderful women at once.

Ryu watched him, hawklike, before she gave him a slight smile, "Sort yourself out, Bell, we can wait."

Relief poured in like his very own waterfall, and he felt as if he were flying on the moon or could just lean over and hug them both to his side yet he knew that if he did that, things would just get more complicated, so he sent a large, vibrant smile their way and hoped that they'd understand.

He was floating on air his whole walk to the dungeon, and no monster could destroy that feeling and no question of why could make it still.


	7. Chapter 7

**Happy New Year's Eve's Eve! I hope that you have a wonderful day and enjoy this new chapter! There's a bit more action in this one and finally we've gotten to a little more embarrassed, confused Bell. I hope that you really like this chapter, and that I wrote the action parts well though I couldn't help but embarrass Bell a little bit anyway, because naturally his confusion and frenzied thoughts aren't just going to vanish when one of the causes is before him. I really hope that you like this chapter, and that you've had a wonderful New Year's Eve's Eve today, and that tomorrow goes well for you.**

The dungeon hadn't drained his joy, just replaced a bunch of it with exhaustion, and thus he was still smiling as Bell headed off to wash up and meet up with Aiz for a quick training session or rather spar.

A part of his mind was caught up in tangible excitement and joy over the fact that he'll be sparring with Aiz again and that that may go well as it usually did though he also felt a little bit of nerves sink in where they really shouldn't.

Bell, once clean, climbed up to their usual waiting spot; he'd, for once, arrived before Aiz, and so he took to casually looking over the area that they sparred as small as it was and tried to not let his thoughts spin back to the general acceptance on Ryu and Syr's parts though they hadn't stated simply put that they'd be open to polyamory, just that he should sort out his thoughts before he came back to them to ask them to enter into a relationship of that sort with him.

His ruby eyes flickered over towards his approaching sparring partner, unable to completely ignore how beautiful she looked in the still setting sun, blond hair cast by gorgeous red-orange hues.

Her blue eyes sparkled under the sudden light, and he couldn't help his bright smile when he saw her show up; normally, they didn't arrange sparring sessions so close to sunset, because once it became dark, it grew harder to simply fight each other though today was one of those rare days that they both knew they'd have to call it short before too long.

Bell got into position, hand clasped tightly over the Hestia Knife, and let his smile slip into a calculating smirk, crush or not, he was an adventurer and a fighter as well and definitely wouldn't hold back.

At a silent signal that they both caught simply by the look in the other's eyes, they sprung into action.

Bell slid forward on quick feet, ducking past the blade that Aiz was wielding, slipping by as if he were just a shadow or had somehow grown invisible under the setting sun, muscles pulling tight as he shifted as if to remind him to spring forward again if the blade that Aiz held came too close to his head.

She spun around, catching his knife on her sword, shifting with a little sturdier force but not enough to knock the two of them over on to the ground in an awkward pile of stumbling limbs, just enough to assure him that she wasn't afraid to use some force.

His ruby eyes focused in on her blade, already calculating which way to move in case she struck again though he didn't have long to think when she slid her sword away from his knife and brought it down as if to hit him in the head; Bell dove to the side, pressing his knife steadily against the armor at her side, not quite touching despite how close it was.

Her blue eyes flickered with emotion or the remnants there of emotion, and she spun further away from his blade to poke him in the side, a reminder that she could fully cut into him if she so chose, and he couldn't resist the steady smirk and the pounding adrenaline in his veins that were growing at the thought of this being a real battle rather than a spar.

Bell flicked the sword away with a steady hand on his knife and dove forward, shocked by his impulse, to just take over the battle, only realizing his recklessness when she easily batted the knife away from her chest plate.

Aiz shifted position, and it struck Bell how beautiful majestic it looked like a long standing, rippling wave coming together at the seams; there was a grace to her fighting style: a princess hidden behind a sword.

Bell let his steady breath of air propel him to yet again move around her, half spinning past her side as he brought his knife close to her armor, close to her skin to be batted away, though when she brought her sword to deliver a varied mix of attacks, a slash when he came too close to her side, a stab when he slid just by her sword to stand partially in front of her, he batted away the sword with his knife.

While they were both aware of the fact that they wouldn't hurt each other, adrenaline coursed through their veins as if it had never gotten the message.

When Bell lunged just moments later, bring his knife rather close to her chest plate as if to embed it in the surface, she moved easily to brush her sword against his side, uncaring if they left any marks in each other's armor, Bell froze; he shouldn't let himself get carried away, but the fiery passion that burst in her blue eyes caught his breath.

He usually avoided letting her distract him however accidentally she did so whenever they sparred, and he was good at focusing on fighting her as if she were just another adventurer after their first awkward spar.

His mind crashed to a shuddering stop as he gazed into blue eyes before she pushed him back, and Bell toppled over on to the hard ground behind him.

Pride danced within her eyes though it was muted as if she couldn't take credit for a win like this when he grew so distracted at the end.

Bell loved the pride that entered her eyes whenever she won even though that meant he lost in the mean time though hated when it was muted; he always gave their spars enough attention and put his best foot forward partly for that and partly out of his own pride.

His mind was still whirling with romance, and he couldn't help but wish that he was able to lean forward in that brief moment of proximity that helped end their latest spar and close that gap between them; he adored the fiery passion that easily broke free from the dam of her eyes in a spar, that only grew stronger the longer it went on yet it never distracted her from battle.

Bell was disappointed in himself for being distracted by a regular, still as mind boggling sight, that usually didn't end with him sprawled on the ground, regretting his own tendency to fall under the easy charm that Aiz more than likely didn't know she possessed.

He couldn't pull his mind away and as he looked up at her, he remembered the hot spring that he'd stumbled upon and how irresistibly beautiful that she naturally was, bare of the armor that she usually wore, bare of anything to hide her ethereal beauty.

Bell cursed himself for his own tendency to be distracted by her that he'd worked so hard to hide and push back over the time that he'd gotten close to her; he just loved everything about her, loved her strength, her fearlessness, her beauty that only grew stronger by the determined woman underneath.

Aiz was truly incredible, and he couldn't help but stare today as the late sunset lit her skin in dark hues of orange as she leaned down to offer a hand to the adventurer still gaining his bearings from his own mind's tendency to be consumed by her.

"What's wrong?" She asked as his hand tightened over her own, and Bell forced himself to not be so mesmerized by her pretty voice that sounded so different that the fearless warrior within her even if it shouldn't.

"Sorry, I got distracted." Bell couldn't help the dark blush that lit up his cheeks as he looked at her, trying to ignore the way his heart raced at just touching her, trying to ignore how perfectly soft her hands were and yet how chapped they were from every day that she spent in the dungeon.

"That's not like you." Aiz shrugged, "It's been a while since you've been this distracted."

Of course, she'd notice those types of things though his heart suddenly felt too big for his chest; hope spiraled within its depths even though he knew better than to hope that she possibly returned his feelings for her, knew better than to hope that she'd be okay with his confusing mix of emotions, the many people that he was realizing that he was attracting to, slowly falling in love with.

"I know. I've just had a lot on my mind." He let go of her hand, realizing belatedly that he probably should since he was now standing up, had been for a little bit, and hoped that by looking out towards the sky to the side of them that it would hide the cherry red of his cheeks that still bloomed in embarrassment and over the emotions that were still so hard to hide that he wondered briefly if he should show now.

"Do you think you will be better by tomorrow afternoon?" She asked, and Bell realized that they'd more than likely spar after a quicker dungeon visit tomorrow or before they entered the dungeon.

"Yeah, I should be." He shrugged; Bell figured that may be after one embarrassing day sparring with one of the women that he had more than casual feelings towards, he should be able to handle himself the next day.

More time to stew in embarrassment and more time to calm down regardless.

"Good." Aiz smiled lightly at that, "I'll see you tomorrow then." She was already stepping down, and Bell realized that he shouldn't stare as if he were in the presence of a princess for the first time, but it was hard to look away, to pull himself together before he made his own journey down and back home.


	8. Chapter 8

**Happy New Year! I hope that you've had a great day so far. (I found a way to write the idea for a chapter that I've had for a while, hopefully it turned out well.) I hope that you like this chapter though it was a little bit harder to write and is a little bit shorter than the normal chapter. I hope that you have a wonderful day, and that this becomes a great chapter to start the New Year off with.**

Bell could hardly believe himself to be here before Hephaestus, to have been called by the Goddess.

Her red hair glimmered from the light of the window behind her and just off to the side, and her eyes sparkled in gentle warmth, a look that Bell could scarcely believe was directed at him.

The blacksmith smiled a simple smile that somehow took the breath right out of Bell's lungs despite the fact that just a matter of days ago, Aiz had left him stunned; it felt almost like he should start trying to convince his heart not to stutter in the presence of another woman, but he felt useless to it now, useless to stop what felt like War Shadows rampaging against his stomach, making him half dizzy under the feeling.

"I was hoping that you'd tell me how that knife that Hestia commissioned me to make for you went. Does it suit you?" Something in her sweet statement reminded him of somehow who was completely sure of herself and her ways; she had to know when she made it that he'd continue to rely on it, that it would feel as if it grew more powerful in his hands every day.

"It works great, thank you." Bell despite himself felt slightly intimidated in what had to be her office; she is a talented goddess, had made a knife that Hestia had presented to him a while ago, and always seemed confident.

His eyes flickered to the black eye patch covering one of her eyes though he couldn't help but think that it just added to the charm of Hephaestus regardless of why she had it; she was certainly beautiful and perfectly in her element at the moment.

"I'm glad. I definitely had you in mind when I made it." She smiled though it was almost tight, not as if she were upset with his presence or doubted its worth, just as if the memory that sprung to mind wasn't a particularly pleasant one, "I'm glad that we've met since then."

"Th-Thank you again." Bell's eyes found her own again, and a part of his mind wandered further away and down into the rabbit hole of her beautiful eye that always became a strong part of her confidence.

"No problem." She smiled, and it felt almost calming though he felt like there was a reason that she had summoned him here other than asking how the knife was since she seemed to already be aware that it worked well for him; she only made the best weapons, so Bell expected nothing less yet it seemed odd for her to summon him here and ask him about it.

Her eye flickered over to the weapons not far away, and he suddenly felt as though he should let her work again yet he almost wanted to stay for a little while longer and figure out exactly why she had called for him and exactly why his belly chose to react when she so much as looked at him.

Bell had never remembered feeling as confused as he was now that he'd slowly noticed himself falling for more women than he thought he liked before especially since some were goddesses.

He sighed, but startled when Hephaestus turned to him, "Bell, good luck out there."

Screw the Wall Shadows, his belly was full of hundreds of floor bosses and his heart was beating miles upon miles a minute as he felt her concern drip over him as quickly and effectively as a waterfall.

"I-I will." His smile could dazzle the moon as he stumbled out of her office and outside of the building to head for home or may be go back into the dungeon for the third time that day.

Bell had already gotten in too deep for his feelings and heart to slow down any time soon.


End file.
